Table construction



Oct. 17, 1944. N. H..cEDERQUisT TABLE CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 5, v1941 Patented Oct. 17, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TABLE CONSTRUCTION Nils Herman Cederqust, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application February 5, 1941, Serial No. 377,500

8 Claims.

This invention relates to a table construction for use in restaurants, cocktail lounges, soda fountains and similar locations.

In places Where foods and drinks are sold and served, it is customary to provide booths in the form of seats or benches adjacent to or partially surrounding tables. In many instances the seats or benches are stationarily arranged adjacent to or around a stationary table with the result that the edge of the table is either too distant from the seats or benches for comfort or difficulty is experienced in the customer seating himself because of the closeness of the table.

Anobject of the present invention is to provide an improved table construction which may have a pedestal or support adapted to remain stationary with respect to the seats or benches but which has a readily movable table top which can be shifted relative to the pedestal to facilitate the customer seating himself and then returned to such a position that the customer will not be inconvenienced by the table top being too .remote from his seat. Another object of the invention is to provide a table construction having a pedestal or support adapted to remain stationary and having an adjustable or movable table top supported thereon which is of relatively simple construction and which can be easily and quickly shifted into the desired position yet will remain very firm in any position that it is caused to assume. Another object of the invention is to provide a table construction having a table top which is adjustably or movably mounted on a pedestal or support which is provided with means by which the table top can be quickly and easily re-aligned with relation to the pedestal and/or the adjacent stationary seats or benches so that a neat and attractive appearance can be easily and quickly re-secured.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will be made manifest in the following detailed description and specifically po-inted out in the appended claims, reference is had to the accompanying drawing for an illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a representative form of booth having the seats or benches arranged in general U shaped form around three sides of the table construction embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a View in side elevation of the table construction embodying the present invention and may be considered as having been taken in the direction of the arrow 2 upon Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a partial View in horizontal section taken substantially upon the line 3-3 upon Fig. 2 in the direction indicated.

Fig. 4 is a partial view in side elevation, parts being broken away and shown in vertical section and may be considered as having been taken in the direction of the arrow 4 upon Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view in bottom elevation of one of the corner brackets employed to secure the retaining element on the underside of the table top.

Fig. 6 is a partial View in vertical section illustrating the connection between the corner bracket illustrated in Fig. 5 and the table top and the manner in which the retaining element is secured thereto.

Referring to the accompanying drawing wherein similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout, I0 indicates a seat or bench usually permanently mounted adjacent a wall and surrounding three sides of the table generally designated at T. It will be understood however that the use of the present table is in no way restricted to a three-sided seat or bench but may be employed wherever desired. It has its greatest advantage however when the table is adapted to have its support or pedestal stationarily mounted with respect to a stationary seat. The seat of course may be of any preferred construction or design. The table that embodies the `present invention comprises a suitable pedestal indicated at II preferably provided with a b ase I2, which may be either very heavy to prevent the table being readily moved or it may be permanently `fastened such as by screws on a supporting floor. The table top is indicated at I3 which is supported on the pedestal. At the top of the pedestal there is provided a anged collar I4 rigidly fastened on the pedestal such as by a set screw I5 and secured to this flanged collar are radially extending arms I6, Il, I8 and I9. The number of these arms may vary but in most constructions four arms is preferable. These arms are rigidly attached to the flange of the collar I4 such as by screws 20. They extend outwardly beneath the table top and at their outer ends strips of leather 2i are secured which bear against and serve to support the underside of the table top I3. The arms I6 to I9 inclusive cooperate to form a type of flange structure on the pedestal that supports the table top. Between adjacent arms brackets 22 are secured to the underside of the table top such as by screws 23. These brackets have one or more central hub portions 24 and downwardly extending Wings 25 at their ends. A ring 26 is provided which in the form illustrated is in the nature of a rectangular metal ring having apertures in its corners for the reception of screws 21 which are driven to the ring and through one or more rubber washers 28 into the hubs 24 of the brackets. A distance between the under-surface of the table top I3 and the top surface of the ring or retaining element 26 is substantially equal to the thickness of the arms I6 to I9 inclusive together with the thickness of the leather strips 2I. The rubber washers 28 being compressible permit of suitable adjustment accomplished by tightening or loosening screws 21 so as to cause the top surface of ring 26 to t snugly but slidingly against the undersides of the arms. The lengths of the arms are such that when the table top is in its central position, those portions of the arms which extend outwardly beyond the sides of the ring 26 are equal to or greater than the distance between the ring Z6 and the collar I4 so that it is impossible when the table is once assembled to slide the end of any arm out from beneath the ring 26.

By means of the construction thus provided although the pedestal II and the base I2 may remain stationary, the table top I3 can be easily shifted or caused to slide on the arms I6 to I9 inclusive and assume offset positions with respect thereto such as are indicated by dotted lines of Fig. 1. To facilitate sliding it is preferable to polish the underside of the table I3 and to work into the leather facings 2I a suitable lubricant such as wax. With the table top thus constructed. the top may be shifted forwardly with relation to the back of the seats or benches I or shifted laterally toward either side or even twisted as indicated within limits. This shifting of the table top facilitates customers seating themselves on the seats I0 and after the customers are seated the table top can be returned to its neutral or normal position wherein it is adequately close to the seated customers so that no discomture is experienced. Regardless of what position the table top assumes inasmuch as the ring or retaining element 2B is always snugly bearing against the bottom surfaces of the arms which provide the ange structure at the top of the pedestal, no looseness, wobbling or rattling will be present. Should the structure wear or tend to become loose, this can be easily taken up by tightening screws 21 to compress the washers 28 to a greater degree. The limits of movement of the table top with relation to the pedestal are established by the wings 25 on the brackets engaging the sides of the arms.

When the customers have been served and have departed it is desirable t0 be able to quickly and easily line up the table top with relation to the pedestal and with relation to the adjacent seats. To this end one of the arms such as that illustrated at I9 is pointed as indicated at 3U and this pointed end is adapted to cooperatively engage with an angular flange 3| which is secured to the underside of the table top. Such an angular ange may be formed in any suitable way such as by small sections of angle iron. In order to line up the table top with relation to the pedestal and the seats, the waitress need only force the table top into its rearmost position wherein the pointed end 30 engages the apex of the angular flange. This will position the forward edge of the table in its desired position and by sliding the rear portion of the table top 'either to right or to left, it may bequickly and easily caused to assume a position wherein its sides parallel the side seats thus reassuming a neat and attractive position With relation to the seats.

From the above described construction it will be appreciated that the improved table construction has many advantages in that it facilitates the seating of customers adjacent to the table affording plenty of room forwardly of the seats while the customer is being seated and then permitting the table top to return to a normal position which will have the advantage of the table adequately close to the seated customer. The construction is relatively simple to manufacture and assemble and when installed it has no parts that will easily get out of order.

Various changes may be made in the details of the construction without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as dened by the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A table construction having a pedestal adapted to remain stationary, means providing a flange structure at the top of the pedestal, a table top supported thereon and means secured to the underside of the table top extending beneath the flange structure for maintaining the table top on the pedestal but permitting it to be shifted horizontally relative thereto within limits, said means being adjustable so as to cause it to snugly fit against said ange structure.

2. A table construction having a pedestal adapted to remain stationary, arms extending outwardly from the pedestal, a table top supported on the pedestal, and means secured to the table top engageable with the arms for maintaining the top on the pedestal but permitting it to be rotated within limits in a horizontal plane relative thereto.

3. A table construction having a pedestal adapted to remain stationary, arms extending outwardly from the pedestal, a table top supported on the pedestal, and means secured to the table top engageable with the arms for maintaining the top on the pedestal but permitting it to be moved in a horizontal direction relative thereto in any -direction within limits and means secured to the underside of the top cooperatively engageable with one of the arms to facilitate centering the to-p with relation to the pedestal.

4. A table construction having a pedestal adapted to remain stationary, arms extending outwardly from the pedestal adjacent the top thereof, a table top supported on said arms movable in a horizontal direction relative thereto within limits and a ring secured to the underside of the table top engageable with the undersurfaces of the arms for maintaining the top on the pedestal but permitting it to be moved horizontally relative thereto.

5. A table construction having a pedestal adapted to remain stationary, arms extending outwardly from the pedestal adjacent the top thereof, a table top supported on said arms movable in a horizontal direction relative thereto within limits and a ring secured to the underside of the table top engageable with the undersurfaces of the arms for maintaining the top on the pedestal but permitting it to be moved horizontally relative thereto, the securing means for the ring providing for its Aadjustment toward or away from the table top so that it may be maintained in snug fitting engagement with the undersides of the arms.

6. A table construction having a pedestal adapted to remain stationary, arms extending outwardly from the pedestal adjacent the top thereof, a table top supported on said arms movable in a horizontal direction relative thereto within limits and a ring secured to the underside of the ta'ble top engageable with the undersurfaces of the arms for maintaining the top on the pedestal but permitting it to be moved horizontally relative thereto, one of the arms being pointed, and means providing a flange with angularly related sections on the underside of the table top, the apex of which is adapted to receive the underside of the pointed arm to facilitate centering the table top with relation to the pedestal.

7. A table construction having a pedestal adapted to remain stationary, arms extending outwardly from the pedestal adjacent the top thereof, a table top supported on said arms movable in a horizontal direction relative thereto Within limits and a ring secured to the underside of the table top engageable with the undersur- -outwardly from the pedestal, a table top supported on the pedestal, and means secured to the table top extending transversely across the outer ends of the arms on the underside thereof for maintaining the top on the pedestal but permitting it to tbe moved in any horizontal direction relatively thereto within limits.

NILS HERMAN CEDERQUIST. 

